Coke, Pepsi and Co.

Coca Cola, Pepsi, Coca Cola, Pepsi… Their logos are just everywhere in Honduras. It seems that every town sign is sponsored by either of them. During the whole journey through Honduras you just drive through Coca Cola towns, cross Pepsi bridges or you just see their logo emerging randomly from a river. And of course, you always eat at either a Pepsi or a Coke food stand. Mostly Pepsi though…

But of course, there is more. Not for nothing Honduras was called the banana republic. Driving along the coast from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula you see… what do you think? Yes, Dole. One Dole field next to the other. Dole seems to be another of these great Honduras sponsors. La Ceiba has a whole park dedicated to Dole. Or let’s say sponsored by Dole. The Swinford park exhibits various old train wagons from the Fruit Company. Strange though, it is so hard to find any banana at the food markets in Honduras. 

The reason for that? Maybe Dole changed its mono-culture strategy to pineapples instead of bananas. The street from La Ceiba to San Pedro Sula is lined by pineapple fields. Dole pineapple fields. And when entering a bakery asking for the ingredients of the many different cakes, you will be surprised. They all may look different, but they all contain just pineapple. One is filled with mushed pineapple, another one is topped with pineapple pieces and the next one is puff pastry with pineapple jam. Is it maybe pineapple republic now?

Also, when travelling through Honduras there is one obvious difference to Guatemala. In Guatemala everybody seems to be on the road. Travelling from A to B and vice versa. Even tough the buses leave every 20 minutes to the same destination they are jam-packed. People sit on top of each other, stand in the corridor and squeeze until the last one fits. In Honduras? Nothing like that. 

Tickets are sold beforehand by one of the many different bus companies. The bus terminals have waiting-rooms where the buses get announced. The luggage undergoes a security check similar to the one at the airport (However, I do not really get the point, as the bus also stops along the road to pick up more passengers, which are not security checked). And, most important, everybody in the bus gets a seat. Somehow they manage, that the bus never gets crowded. But maybe Hondurans just do not to displace themselves as much as Guatemalans do.

The old fortification „Castillo San Cristóbal“ in Gracias

I traveled all the way from the Caribbean Cost to the Lenca mountain region in Honduras. I did one small stop in San Pedro for a sleepover and lunch, though. What a change from La Ceiba at the Caribbean to Gracias in the mountains! Gracias is a nice, little mountain town with an old colonial touch. Everything is close and bars and restaurants are located around the central square. A little out of town are the hot baths El Presidente. Fog ascends from the hot water into the chill air. Slowly the body submerges into the hot and clear water. Leaning back with the head, a huge leave-roof extends above oneself. It is heavenly. And suddenly loud Reggaeton bursts out of the speakers. It is time to go.